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Lubertha Johnson oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00955

Abstract

Oral history interview with Lubertha Johnson conducted by Larry Buckner on February 10, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Lubertha Johnson discusses her family background, work experience, civic activity, and philosophy. She talks about discrimination in the workplace for Black people, segregation in Las Vegas, Nevada, and her forty year membership in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP). She also discusses the historic Westside neighborhood and its schools, the prejudice Black performers faced in the 1950s and 1960s, and how she feels disappointed in President Jimmy Carter.

Archival Collection

Stella and Claude Parson oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01437

Abstract

Oral history interview with Stella and Claude Parson conducted by Emily Powers on February 26, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Stella and Claude Parson both discuss black history, discrimination in Reno, Nevada and Las Vegas, Nevada, and opportunities for African Americans in Nevada. Stella Parson discusses being the first African American student to graduate from University of Nevada, Reno. Claude Parson discusses his involvement in United States Air Force, living on Nellis Air Force Base, and being a minister in his church.

Archival Collection

"Holiday in Japan" dancers joint oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00954

Abstract

Oral history joint interview with the "Holiday in Japan" dancers conducted by Claytee D. White on May 26, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. The dancers present for the interview were Sachiko O. Thompson, Minoru Saito, Kazu Hamada, Kyoko Nakamura, Nobuko Suda, and Katsuko Tomoko Billman. The dancers begin by discussing their lives in Japan before coming to the United States in 1960 to perform their "Holiday in Japan" stage show. They describe their reactions to coming to the United States and compare it to life in Japan, as well as their reactions to coming to Las Vegas, Nevada specifically. They discuss performing their show at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino, Desert Inn Hotel and Casino, and Dunes Hotel and Casino. They describe their show, which presented Japanese culture to Western audiences, and the work that went into it. They end the interview by detailing their lives and careers after performances of the show concluded in 1961.

Archival Collection

Elva Mercardo, Virgie Wilburn, and Dr. Alonzo Anderson oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01352

Abstract

Oral history interview with Elva Mercardo, Virgie Wilburn, and Dr. Alonzo Anderson conducted by Lowell Townley in 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, the three interviewees recall the life of Margie Grubb. Elva Mercardo is Grubb's niece; Virgie Wilburn is a former employee and friend; and Dr. Anderson is a veterinarian and friend. Mercardo describes how Grubb managed bars in Las Vegas, Nevada, her personality, and Grubb's relationship with other people including Mercardo's father and Grubb's business partners. Wilburn recalls stories from Grubb's life including Grubb's affinity for the desert and bootlegging. Wilburn also talks about a time where Grubb's club and house caught on fire. Dr. Anderson discusses Grubb working in the mining industry, moving to Oregon for a short time, and managing a saloon.

Archival Collection

Jesma and Carlyle Wilcox oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01976

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jesma and Carlyle Wilcox conducted by Sally Griffis on February 19, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Jesma Wilcox begins by describing her family ranch, how her father leased the property to tenants, and what it was like living without air conditioning and refrigeration. She describes using a nearby stream as a water source, recreational activities, and the Mormon settlers and missionaries who first settled on the ranch. Wilcox talks about her religious involvement with the Mormon Church and life in Las Vegas, Nevada during the mid-twentieth century, as well as how Las Vegas has changed. Wilcox, with her husband Carlyle, also discusses the history of the nuclear weapons tests. Carlyle then describes the construction of the Basic Magnesium Plant in Henderson, Nevada.

Archival Collection

Transcript of interview with Joseph Thiriot by Claytee White, August 10, 2000

Date

2000-08-10

Description

Joseph Thiriot is a longtime Las Vegas resident who served the community as an educator. He was born in 1906 in Provo, Utah; one of five sons bom to George W. and Elvira Thiriot. He has vivid memories of moving about, including living in Idaho where his father sold a typing machine , a forerunner to the typewriter. Eventually the family moved to a ranch in Pahranagat Valley, Nevada, where the limits of educational opportunities compelled his paients to send him back to Provo to finish his education while living with family there. Gaining a teaching certificate enabled Joseph to teach in rural Nevada. He completed his degree at the University of Utah and after meeting Las Vegas Superintendent Maude Frazier he relocated to Las Vegas to become a teacher. He reminisces about his life and the changes that have occurred over the years in Las Vegas.

Text

Tancy and Richard Leonard oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02114

Abstract

Oral history interview with Tancy and Richard Leonard conducted by Barbara Tabach on September 18, 2012 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, the Leonards discuss their respective parents' employment at the Nevada Test Site. Frances’ father, John Elmgren, was the liaison between Reynolds Electric and the Atomic Energy Commission. Tancy describes the difficulties that came with having a parent working at the test site, the Huntridge Movie Theater, Vegas Village, and living in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s and 1960s. Later in the interview, Richard discusses his father’s employment at the test site, observing the detonation of bombs, and the secrecy surrounding his father’s work. Lastly, the two describe the Westside and the historical significance of that area.

Archival Collection

Transcript of interview with Evelyn Miller McDonald by Maylene C. Cabatingan, February 26 & 27, 1980

Date

1980-02-26
1980-02-27

Description

On February 26, and 27, 1980, Maylene C. Cabatingan interviewed Evelyn Miller McDonald (born 1905 in Alderson, West Virginia) about her life in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also present during the interview is Maylene’s step-father (name unknown) who occasionally participates in the conversation. At the time of the interview, McDonald had lived in Nevada for over seventy-two years and described early Las Vegas as a small-town railroad community with few amenities. McDonald discusses her occupational history, and how her father started the first car garage in Las Vegas. She goes on to talk about the impact of the Great Depression on Las Vegas and how Hoover Dam’s construction reduced the severity of the financial depression in comparison to other cities. She then recites the hotels that were built and the appeal that Vegas had to tourists and divorcees. McDonald later discusses how prostitution was accepted by the community, and recalls a story about how local businessmen rallied together to ensure that a minister would preach the funeral for a young woman who had died, despite being a prostitute. McDonald concludes her interview with a brief discussion of her goals in life and her pride in her daughters.

Text

Corinne Entratter Sidney, Charlotte Nort, Mary Neivans, Judy Jones, and Joy Blaine Garner oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01899

Abstract

Oral history interview with Corinne Entratter Sidney, Charlotte Nort, Mary Neivans, Joy Blaine Garner, and Judy Jones conducted by Su Kim Chung on January 11, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Sidney, Nort, Neivans, Garner, and Jones discuss their early lives and recall their memories as members of the Copa Girls at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. They describe the audition process to become a Copa Girl, showgirl costumes, and the choreography that was created for their performances. The group recalls performing along famous singers, including Frank Sinatra, and the entertainment in Las Vegas during the 1950s and 1960s.

Archival Collection

Photograph of possibly the Cashman office, Las Vegas, circa mid 1900s

Date

1940 to 1969

Description

The view of a group of mostly unidentified men standing in a room believed to be the Cashman Office in Las Vegas, Nevada. This image is part of the automobile business in early Las Vegas. Handwritten description provided on back of image: "In doorway - James Cashman, Sr."

Image